Date of Award
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Psychology BS
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Emily DeFouw
Second Advisor
Dr. Freddie Pastrana Rivera
Advisor Department
Psychology
Abstract
Bereavement is a common yet underrecognized experience among college students, with many experiencing the death of a loved one during their academic careers. The university environment can present unique challenges that may impede the grieving process. Thus, faculty members may play an important role in shaping students’ academic and emotional outcomes following a loss. Understanding how students are affected by their faculty’s response to loss is critical for identifying strategies to support bereaved students within the academic environment. This study builds on previous research demonstrating that bereaved college students experience academic and emotional challenges while specifically examining the role of faculty responses in shaping these outcomes. Based on this rationale, the study investigated the relationship between perceived faculty support, grief severity, and academic functioning among bereaved college students. It was hypothesized that (1) greater grief severity would be associated with increased academic difficulties, (2) greater perceived faculty support would be associated with decreased grief severity, and (3) greater perceived faculty support would be associated with decreased academic difficulties among bereaved students. The final sample consisted of 136 students enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi who had experienced the loss of a loved one shortly before beginning college or while enrolled. Participants completed an online survey consisting of a demographic questionnaire, the Prolonged Grief-13 Revised (PG-13-R) to assess grief severity, and two measures developed for the present study to assess perceived academic difficulties and faculty support. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between grief severity and academic difficulties, r(132) = .62, p < .001,
suggesting that students who reported greater grief symptoms also experienced greater academic challenges. However, perceived faculty support was not significantly associated with grief severity, r(117) = .16, p = .081, nor academic difficulties, r(116) = .12, p = .199. These findings suggest that although increased grief severity is strongly associated with increased academic difficulties among bereaved students, perceived faculty support did not significantly mitigate emotional or academic setbacks in this sample. This study contributes to a broader understanding of how bereavement affects college students and highlights the need for continued research examining institutional responses that support student well-being and academic success.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Hale, Vivian, "Exploring Student Academic and Grief Functioning after Loss: Perceptions and Influence of Faculty Responses to Student Bereavement" (2026). Honors Theses. 1081.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/1081